eating my way to pregnancy

Key Lime Pie

Ok I’ll admit there aren’t really any health or fertility benefits with this recipe…well limes are a good source of vitamin C, but let’s be real – sometimes you just want something that tastes damn good! I made this for my husband on our third wedding anniversary. I don’t usually do many desserts – mainly because he refuses to eat anything with a berry near it – but this one was a winner.

It’s really simple to make but is full of flavour from the limes. If you have a pie tin with a removable base it’s probably best to use that, but if not, just try to loosen the edges slightly with a knife before removing a slice. Serve with whipped cream if you like, but I like mine just the way it is. One other tip – if your oven is a bit of a fiery beast like mine then remember to turn the pie half way so don’t end up with a slightly charred edge!

Serves 6-8 depending how greedy you are

Ingredients

200g digestive biscuits

50g ginger nut biscuits

3tbsp light brown sugar

110g unsalted butter, melted

1x 387g tin of condensed milk

3x egg yolks

100ml lime juice, squeezed from fresh limes

2tbsp lime zest

1 cube dark chocolate

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (160°C with a fan oven). First make your crust by whizzing the biscuits up in a food processor until it turns to crumbs. Put the biscuits in a bowl with the sugar and the melted butter and mix together until it looks like damp sand.

Pour the mixture into a fluted pie tin (about 23cm wide and 3cm deep). Use your hand to press the crumb mix on to the bottom and sides of the tin. Bake for 10 minutes then take it out of the oven and allow to cool completely.

Whisk the eggs with an electric hand mixer for 30 seconds then pour in the condensed milk, lime juice and ½ tbsp of lime zest and continue whisking for another 30 seconds. Pour the filling in to your cooled crust, giving it a light tap or lightly spreading the mixture to the edges with a palette knife.

Bake in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes, then put the tin on a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate your pie for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

When you’re ready to serve sprinkle over the remaining lime zest to get a nice green colour and dust with the finely grated cube of chocolate.